Tuesday, June 20, 2017

This boy from Varansi developing entrepreneurship skills among villagers

While
Prime Minister Narendra Modi who got elected from Varanasi is
encouraging entrepreneurship, here is a voter from that constituency who
motivated by Modi has come all the way to Mysuru and working with
farmers, and developing entrepreneurship skill among villagers.

An
Engineering graduate Himansu Pandey (22), who was working as Business
Development Executive in a private company, quits his job fetching him a
fatter salary, to work with villagers and develop enterpreneurship
skills among them. Under SBI Youth for India fellowship, he is working
in B.Seehalli in Narasipur Taluk. He is planning to establish Tomato
processing unit in the village, and make the farmers economically
stronger.

Under Pradhan Mantri Grameen Vikas Yojana the villagers to take up loan upto Rs 3 lakh and set up the Tomato processing Unit in village by August. Under the scheme women get 25 per cent subsidy, and there is provision to start repayment of loans after three years, which is of great helpful for the villagers.

There
are 400 families in the village. Himansu has brought together the
farmers who are growing Jamun tomatoes in the village. Women folk are
thought about processing of tomatoes, while the unemployed youngsters in
the village are been roped in to market the products.

He
is teaching the youngsters how to make use of the technology, marketing
strategies and skills, challenges in marketing, demand for tomatto
ketchups in urban area, etc.

Nearly
20 women from the village to undergo three day training programme in
Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) in next week. The women will be
thought boiling, mixing, pre bioling, packaging, how to preserve the
products, etc. Even plans are on card to get the technology of Tomatoes
Processing Unit transfer from DFRL.

Already women have been thought how to identify the tomatoes suitable for making ketchup and extract pulp. Also to make the ketchup easily using an ordinary pressure cooker at home.

The
villagers to make 50 liter ketchup for trial next month, and it will be
given to taste for people in Mysuru and Bengaluru. Himansu says, this
will be not only helpful to boost the marketing of the product, whereas
to gather opinion from people about the taste.

He
is also educating villagers about use of technology in agriculture,
methods to be adopted to grow quality tomattoes, harvesting techniques,
processing, marketing skills, and how to avoid crop loss, benefits of
producing byproducts, how to increase income, so on.

"India
is the second biggest produce of tomatoes. Most of the time tomattoo
price drops to Rs 2. Frustrated farmers litter tomatoes on roads.
Instead they can set up Units in their Panchayats, and convert the
tomatoes into byproduct. The farmers who grow other vegetables, fruits
should also develop entrepreneurship skills," he adds.

"Entrepreneurship is very important for every humanbeing,
specially farmers. Without getting supportive price the farmers are
taking extreme step in life. I wanted to work with farmers and educate
them about how their produce can be converted into products. Working in
grass root level with farmers gives a different experience. Using
technology we can bring farmers to the main stream of society. My future
is to visit Dehardun and work with farmers. Also want to pursue higher
degree in Agribusiness," he added.

Villager
Bhagya said: 'Last year we faced total loss due to fall in price. But
in future we think atlest through tomato ketchup making we get good
value for the harvest. If we get good marketing linkage, we are planning
to grow large quanity of Jamun variety in future, which are ideal for
processing.

Manjula
Nagaraj said: 'After demise of my husband, I am the sole bread earner
for the family. Labour jobs are very seasonal too. This could be a good
opportunity to earn, while staying with in my own community.'

Lakshmi
Kullegowda said: 'The Tomato Unit has come like a new ray of hope. My
husband does labour work and we have very little land. By undergoing
training, I can make ketchups and can earn some money. Earlier we were
growing only paddy and sugarcane. Whereas in the last two decades the
villagers are growing vegetables in large due to drought, climate chage,
scarcity of water.'